Monday, 4th August 2008

Magistrate tells Briton to erase Malta from his mind and geography books

A Briton was given a two-year jail term suspended for four and told to erase Malta from his mind and geography books after pleading guilty to seriously injuring a man in Paceville on Thursday morning.

Kyle Waters, 19, from Liverpool, pleaded guilty to seriously injuring Ryan Fenech during a fight in Wilġa Street at 4 a.m.

He also pleaded guilty to disturbing public order. Mr Waters replied in the affirmative when Magistrate Antonio Mizzi asked him whether he understood that his behaviour was "disruptive and improper". The magistrate went on to tell the Briton to "forget that the island existed" after sentencing him to two years in jail suspended for four years.

Police Inspector Martin Sammut prosecuted.

Lawyer Mark Busuttil was defence counsel.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Saturday, November 21, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

Paul Formosa (on 5/8/08)

Good but if this was a maltese national would the court have given him the same treatment and what would have happened if the case was of a maltese having committed the crime in the uk?

Peter Roberts (on 4/8/08)

If a sentance of forgetting Malta ie never to return was handed out to me it could not be harsher as I love the islands and look forward to returning.The judge was spot on . Yobs are not acceptable in Malta,I get the message quite clearly.

a.cassar (on 4/8/08)

The report says that Waters pleaded guilty. That means he is at fault and those who commented based their comment on this assumption.

Phil. Press (on 4/8/08)

It is par for the course. Do not for one minute, the courts in the U.K. would be any different.. Traffic offenses carry a harsher sentence.

C.Camilleri (on 4/8/08)

Can anyone please explain to me what a suspended sentence for foreigners mean? Once they go home we do not expect them to commit an other crime.

Joe Tabone-Adami (on 4/8/08)

I do not think he will be laughing too heartily on his way back home to Britain. I think he will be spending his flight-time pondering deeply and exhaustively what on earth he could do with his "two-year jail term suspended for four". Any guesses or suggestions to help him out of his riddle?

C J Allen (on 4/8/08)

As Waters is a citizen of the UK he carries an EU passport and has a right to be in Malta, and a magistrate who suggests otherwise exceeds his authority.
The article says that Waters was in a fight with Fenech; it doesn't say who started the fight, and it is perfectly feasible that Waters went too far defending himself. I don't know, and neither do those who have commented hitherto; and is there not something disturbing about the readiness of people who are not in possession of the full facts to condemn "outsiders"?

Mario Farrugia (on 4/8/08)

Suspended sentence??!!!! Why?? Just why?? Is this justice for the victim? Or for society in general, for that matter? What a joke!!

a.cassar (on 4/8/08)

The good magistrate should have given the young delinquent a very good reason why he should erase Malta's memory from his mind, like a hefty fine for example. We were not told if the British delinquent was barred from entering malta in the future. If he was, how is it that some days ago a Croat holding an Austrian (EU) passport was not deported precisely because of being an EU citizen. Isn't Britain an EU member?

John Lauri (on 4/8/08)

This is a disgrace ! He simply got away with just a litlle slap on the wrist like a 'little naughty boy" , for what is a serious offence ! He is/was laughing on the plane on his way back to the UK, for getting away with it so easily.

Seriously injuring a person is a serious offence and as such the courts must hand down punishment accordingly.

Had he committed the same crime back in his own country, he would now be serving his prison sentence already.

Mick Adamek (on 4/8/08)

This person should have got some sort of punishment.
Seriously, these yobs think they are bulletproof until it gets too late.

Martin Davies (on 4/8/08)

So he got away with committing a serious crime and will laugh all the way home and boast to his mates of his conquest! And what does the victim get out of it ? Where's the justice for the victim?

Magistrate tells Briton to erase Malta from his mind and geography books

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